Means for reproducing sound.



v A. EDISON. MEANS FOR REPRODUGING SOUND. mummies r1Lnn. 1 so.s, 1909.

,PatentdMar. 18, 1913.

W l ifiifzi' i- My inventionIis particularly adapted to the feeding ofa sound box'carrying'a dia all whomlitmag)concern; i [Be it known that I, THOMAS unrrnn STATES THOMAS A. EDISOIN', or LLEWELLY 'ro THOMAS A.EDISON,

s e p itficat iono Application- A: E SO I I a'citizen otthe UnitedStateaandaresidentf of Llewellyn Park, VVest' Orange, ,in the. 'county'of Essex" and Stateof'NeWJersey; [have invented certain new and useful Im provenients in Means for Reproducing v i invention' relates-to. a nietliod and means for reproducing sound from a record" of the same 11 on atreveling tablet, and fltheobject of my invention is to provide a" novel and eflicient method for propelling thel; nieans which is fvib'rated in accordance with tlieso'und undulations of the record along;

the same, a ncl'a'suitable apparatus for carry- 7 l ing out the sai d' ni'ethod. Qt-her objects' oflmy invention will appear; j in the following specification and appended phragnior other I vibratory means and the reproducing stylus for vibrating-the latter across the spiral grooves of a disk sound record, although it may be adaptedto (cor-' I "respondingly'.feed-thesame' parts transversely of the record, grooves formed on the surface of arevolving cylinder. .Also', my invention is particularly applicable .for v use "in connection with the-reproduction from sound record, the sound undulations ofvv'hich are of the vertical or hill and valley type,altl1ough it also may-beused'in con nection'.with a record havlngjlateral undu-'= lationsl For purposes of illustration; Lhave shown in the accompanying drawings an" apparatus 'in'. which reproduction is madefrom vertical undulations formed on the I Y Y Mnurnber'offfeeding surface of a rotating disk It-isoldlin the: art tovibrate a stylusby and in accordance with the lateral undu-j lations of therecord groove of. a disk record "andto propelthe stylus along the recordbym I and in accordance i with the record groove itself; It is-also old to propel a'stylus across t-he face' ofa di'sk record ha vi ng vertical sound undulationsrecorded thereon by means of a "mechanical feed. "It-has not":beemfeasible, however, to propel 'a stylus elongth'espiral-- track'ofiairecord having vertical undulationsf formed upoira disk 01' other record-surface vi 2 r 9 f Lettersratent.

' weight upon the stylus,

' groove, these bearing a 5 GoRPoRATEn L In; i

we ensues, NEWJEBSEYQ Assmxon. or wEsT ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A can.

the solei'ineanso-f the engagement of the stylus itself with thereeord groove, bet'iause of the fact that the walls of a record groove having vertical undulations are so" sloping that 1t is extremely difii'cult to "keep the stylus within 5 the groove. While feeding the v I "stylus-by engagement with the Walls of the Smind, of which the following is a descripgroove; 'Becau'sefof the slope 'of the record "\va1ls, the' stylus is very apt. to jump across from one groove to the .next if a mechanical feed is not provided. This can" beiremedied to some extent :byfgreatly increasing the but this results 'in undue Wear upon the recordand upon thestyl-us; -'I overcomethesediificulties by providlng a plurality ot bearing surfaces adapt- (ed to travel within the-grooves of fa sound record, which bearing surfaces are connect ed to propel thegs'ound boxand vibratory means ca-rri'ed the'reby from the record surfaces being providedionly for the purpose offeeding the stylus along thei,gro o,ve,"and not being coniprovision of a plurality of these feedingdefvices, thev difficulty experienced on a ount-g is relied upon to feed the device, is overcome.

nected to vibrate the diaphragm. By the 1 0- single bearing surface following 'the groove 1- preferably use for these feeding devicesa plurality of sapphires m othersui tabl-e hearing surfaces carried by the :ends oftheteeth' of a comb supported in lineWith-thestylus .ben'eathjt-he soundbox, thiscoinb' being conne'etedgt the soundbQXatO: propelthe same," and being adapted to oontact the record -yi'eldingly. Preferably-, also, I- ,In'o'unt" these 1 feeding surfaces fO3-tl18 1621IH0fthe stylus in v tliei line I of progression of the sound box' ,ac'ross' the-recordgrooves, and provide a grooveshavinglno' Sound undulations in'ipressed thereon. in advance of: the lfirst :reco'rd groove, so that the reprod-1i cing 3'= -stylusl-jmay he plaeedfin the 'first record orooi'e when w ---the "reproduction is started HRfiIIDg to the accompanying drawings, illustrating; one; embodiment ;=of ny improved--gappa1'atus whereby my method may "-tbe'carr'iedout, Figurel represents a partial 'pla'nwview of tl-lets'slne;v and- 2 a correspond ng sideelevatlon partly 111 section.

: w-Ref erring tothe draWings, the sound box.

1 is carried by the tonearm 2 which is pivoted in the well known manner at -3. Preferably, the stylus'ei is carried by stylus lever 5 pivoted as shown at 6 or in any well 5 known manner to,fioating' weight 'Z-pivot 'ally connected to-sound box l in the fwell known manner.' Thetail of stylus lever 4 is connected'as shown at& in the well knownmannerto the diaphragm 9 or other vibra- 16 tory means carried by sound box 1.-- Stylus & is adapted to follow the sound undulations.

. of the record grooves 10' formed on disk 11..

PreferablyI form the spiral record 10 in such a direction that the stylus-is fed from the innermost record groove toward the 'periphery of the disk. I also preferably form a spiral roove 12 having a number of turns,

but having no sound undulations formed. thereon on the innermost side of record grooves 10 and extending into or forming 1 continuation of the 'same. It 1s; however,

lbvious that, if desired, the record could be formed to feed the-sound box from the outside toward the center of the disk in which asica'se the non-record-bearing grooves 12.

, 'phire or other suitable material and are carried at the ends ofiteethl l of combj15,

this comb being preferably formed as a leaf spring-extending below floating weight 7 and secured to the body of sound box 1, as shown at 16, These feeding devices 13 40 are preferably positioned to travel along approxlmately-the same are 17 as'does stylus l 4 in its movement transverse to the record grooves. WVhen itis desired 'to reproduce from the record, the arm 2, is positioned so that stylus 4 engages the first record groove 10 while feeding devices l8 engage theauxiliary or false grooves 12. The spring.ma-=

terial of-which comb 15 is formed yields slightly so that stylus l engages the records and bears the greater part of the weight of ,sound' boxl and connected parts. Any numher. of points 13 desired may be provided, and-these may engage adjacent or' non-adjacent Q-grooves as desired. When record. 'disk 11 is set in rotation, sound box 1 is fed across the record by the engagement of feeding devices 13, first with the false grooves 12 and; then with the record-grooves 10L While comb 15 yields somewhat in a'direc- '60 tion at right angles to the. surface of the record,vit is vunyielding in a direction par allel to the record, consequently, the engagement of teeth 13 with the groove feeds box 1 across a the sound record. Comb 15 connected to tllfi i gm and hence with the record groove,

the vibrationof members 13 by the undulations .of the record groove do not affect the sound as reproduced by the reproducer.

Having now described my invention,

-what ,I claim and desire to protect by Letters. Patentis aS-fOllOWSI 1'. a; sound reproducing apparatus, the combination of a traveling surface, having 'a sound record gr'oove formed thereon, a reproducing stylus shaped for engagement with 'the record groove, vibratory means free to move across the record, connections between said stylus and vibratory means a for vibrating the latter, and means shaped- 'for engagement with said record groove and adapted to be propelled-by the same, and connected to propel said vibratory [means but not to vibrate thesame, substantially as described.

2. In a sound reproducing apparatus, the combinationof a travelingsurface having a sound record groove formed thereon in spiral lines, areproducing stylus shaped for Y engagement with the record groove, vibratory means free to moveacross the-record, connections between said stylus and vibratory ,means for vibrating the latter, and

means shaped for simultaneous engagement with a plurality of the lines of said record groove and adapted to be propelledfby the 5 same, and connected to pro el said vibratory 1 means but not'to vibratetiie same, substantially as described. a a

i 3. In a sound reproducing apparatus, the combination of .a travelingdiskhaving a sound record groove formed thereon in spiral lines, a reproducing stylus shaped for engagement with the record groove, an arm pivoted to swing across the lines of a e record groove, vibratory means carried I y 5 said arm and connected to said stylus, and means shaped forengagement with said record groove and adapted to be propelled by the same and connectedtopropel saidarm, substantially as described. 11o

4. In a sound reproducing ap aratus, the combination of a traveling sur ace having} a sound record groove formed thereon, areproducing stylus shaped for engagement a sound box mounted free tomove across the record, vi.- bratory means carried thereby, connections between said stylus and vibratory means-for vibrating the latter, means ,shaped for en: gagement with therecord groove and connectime between said means and sound box for propelling the latter, said connections! being yielding in .a direction transverse to the record surface, substantially as described. v

5. In a-sound reproducing apparatus,'the combination of a traveling surface having a sound record. formed-thereon in spiral grooves, a feeding oove to one side of said record gr ve n f rm ng nt siaev B oplrai ihez wiiig for engage agent w oratory moans froo record, commotion no 1 brzato x2102 no for 1nd 111% ns shaped for: or 'iemhng and record groo he pro 'mliedby tho sumo IGCOZd shapod f gagomont with iho resort rooX e, vibmiol moans free to move ao'ro; he record, coinnooions becweon said. styhls anclvfln'aii ory mon'ns for vibrating the latter, ondpnoons Amped for simul''onoous engagement:with o phlmliiy of the grooves; of the record @1116 :uhxpim! to be g'propoflod by the some, and

oommrtw] to propel vsa'idlvibratory moans but not r0 lbrato ,the some, substani mfiy as T. In a sound reproducing app-a atns,'tho

oon'fiainution of a", soundf box, VlblflEOlj," 1 ms cnn'ioil thereby, a i producing' styius d to said vibratory nloarm a (0211b y said sound box and having beau- Cos adapted "ioi: '2101; tho rooozfd, 30

41:11)? as described a. sound roproduuihg apparati the nation of a sound boxv vibm'ory armed thereby, floating; weight a. Yer pivoted to said weight carrying and connected to said. vibratorv o onds of the tooth thereof adapted to pumiloi grooves of the recon moangseciured 110 said sound box for mm said comb below with sa1d styh1s,- substantmny as dospooifioation signed and witnessed 1 day of Decombor, 1909:

U YER SMITH- JOHN M. CANFIELD.

1a, a comb having bearing surfaces on s; id weight and THOMAS A. EDISOIYT. 

